Grappling Bard

[Ferious Thune]

Is there a Bard Archetype that is particularly helpful with grappling? For role-play reasons, I'm looking at adding a level or two of Bard to a grappling character, but it would be great to find something in addition to Inspire Courage that would help the character's main tactic.

[Cavall]

Try the daredevil, friend. It drops inspire courage though.

That's the best I could find.

[Chess Pwn]

archeologist or busker helps your action economy for this, using a swift instead of a standard. But no, there's not much to trade at lv1, especially nothing that would be equal to a large combat buff

[Ferious Thune]

Hmm... Daredevil might work. The action economy for Inspire Courage was going to be an issue anyway. I wish it got more of its benefit at first level. A 2 level dip isn't that much more of a problem for the current build than a 1 level dip is. The net benefit would be a +1 to CMB and CMD for grapples (since I'm losing a BAB for the dip), +1 to 4 skills with Bluff as the most helpful, and spells.

My charisma will only be 12 (plus potential headband), so spells that have a save aren't as attractive. What would some good level 1 spells to help a grapple build be? Timely Inspiration seems like a good one, since it's an immediate action and I won't have Inspire Courage. Anything else particularly good?

Busker and Archeologist are good archetypes (especially Archeologist), but they don't fit as well for the character. It's a Vigilante build, and his social id is a nobleman. I'm looking at the Bard level to support his being a performer. Diva or Celebrity would work thematically, but they don't really do anything for the character in most situations.

This is for PFS, so the regional aspect of the bonuses from Celebrity and Diva isn't great. I'm staying away from Renown for the same reasons.

I'm going for a bit of a Phantom of the Opera feel for the Vigilante Identity. Cause Fear as a spell makes sense, but the save DC would be terrible. If there's an Archetype that gets something like Dirge of Doom earlier, that would be an option as well. Is there an Archetype that imposes a penalty on enemies rather than granting a bonus to allies?

[Cavall]

Well there's masked performer bard. It's a bard with the secret identity of a vigilante. It's basically a luchador, but it wasn't as focused on combat maneuvers as a daredevil.

Still, check that out and see if it works for you to just go one route.

[Ferious Thune]

That could work out, actually.

Seamless Guise is... not particularly useful in PFS, I don't think. If it applied something to the initial check, maybe.

Social Grace at 2nd level, though, would either let me skip taking it with one of my Social Talents, keeping me on track to get as many Social Talents as I would without the dip. Or, if it works like I'm hoping, it might let me get Social Grace twice. So I could take the Vigilante Social Talent at 3rd level Vigilante and choose Diplomacy, get the Bard one at 2nd Bard and choose Intimidate, then at 5th level Vigilante choose Bluff or Spellcraft or a Knowledge skill or something. I guess that really only means getting a third skill 2 levels early.

Ok, that's given me some things to think about. I have to decide if it's worth slowing down progression of other aspects of the character.

[Cavall]

Well happy to help then! I'm personally surprised the masked performer doesn't get a few more grappling or CMb maneuvers. Still it seems to hit a lot of the buttons you like.